Day of recovery brings hope to dance studio and reunites lost dog in Pasadena after tornado damage

PASADENA, Texas (KTRK) -- A day after Cindy Turner cried tears of despair live on ABC13, the woman who has run her namesake dance studio for 40 years can now crack a few smiles.

"After the whole ordeal yesterday, I feel blessed. We're all still here. The memories, the laughter, the tears, the joy, everything is replaceable," she said.

Turner's dad built her the dance studio 40 years ago. He also built the family house next door. Yet, neither stood a chance against the tornado that ripped through parts of Pasadena and Deer Park Tuesday afternoon.

"We were in the lobby," recalled son Brian Peck as he took us on a tour of what's left. "We ran, and the wall was shaking... and we ended up in this bathroom. "

The entire family made it, and so did everyone else who hunkered down in Pasadena.

READ MORE: Storm damage seen across Pasadena after tornado hits during severe weather in SE Texas

A few blocks away, in another neighborhood, every home had some level of damage, with Ruben Ayala's house being the worst off. Yet, even with a roof caved in and walls shattered, Ayala could not focus on cleaning up. His 2-year-old shih tzu ran away during the storm and was still missing as of Wednesday afternoon.

"Her name is Coco, but my mother said she ran off. We had two, and she was able to hold on to one of them, but the female one - she ran away," he said, choking back tears.

When ABC13 broadcasted Ayala's missing dog on the 4 p.m. news, a neighbor happened to be watching our newscast and realized she had the dog. She had rescued the little dog from her backyard after the storm and kept her warm. After seeing it on ABC13, the neighbor drove around until she found Ayala, and the dog was reunited.

As the sun set on the day after the storm, another bit of good news. Cindy Turner and her son found a temporary studio space to rent. The landlord is even offering five weeks for free. They hope to be rehearsing by Friday.

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